Asymmetric rotating disc contactor



United States Patent C 3,495,947 ASYMMETRIC ROTATING DISC CONTACTOR Bruno Rozkos and Tomas Misek, Prague, Czechoslovakia,

assignors to Chepos, Zavody Chemickeho a potrovinarsheho strojiren stv, oborovy podnik, Brno, Czechoslovakia Filed .lune 6, 1966, Ser. No. 555,433 Claims priority, application Czechoslovakia, June 4, 1965, 3,628/ 65 Int. Cl. B01d 11/04; B01f 3/08; B011 7/26 U.S. Cl. 23-270.5 13 lClaims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An asymmetric rotating disc contactor in which a rotary shaft carrying a plurality of discs spaced in axial direction from each other is eccentrically mounted in an outer preferably cylindrical upright shell and extends through a plurality of partitions extending transverse to shaft axis through the shell between adjacent discs on the shaft. Each of the partitions is formed with an opening and an arcuate shell insert extends substantially coaxial with the shaft vertically through the outer shell and said openings to form about the shaft a central agitating space and a lateral overflow space. The shell insert and the openings in the partitions are arranged to facilitate mounting and dismounting of the shaft with the discs thereon in the outer shell.

This invention relates to an asymmetric rotating disc contactor, especially intended to attain an intimate contact of countertlowing liquids, eg., in order to extract both solid and liquid impurities or products from the same. A special object of this invention is to facilitate the assembling, dismounting, cleaning and maintaining of the elements built in the column.

It is already known to provide such asymmetric column with an excentrically arranged rotating shaft carrying a plurality of agitating discs positioned between the adjacent stationary column trays. Each of these stationary trays is in a close contact partly with the adjacent inside Wall of the column, partly with a vertical semi-cylindrical shell-insert, placed coaxially with the axis of the column, passing throughout the whole length of the column, parting the space of the same and separating a central agitating space surrounding the rotor from an overow space situated sideways (Czechoslovak Patent No. 88,514).

Compared with the standard rotating disc contactors, such asymmetric rotating disc contactors are more advantageous due to the fact that they provide improved conditions for a repeated splitting of the drops and their following settling, and in this way for a repeated intimate mutual contact of the liquids to be treated. Nevertheless, the design of these contactors is not advantageous because of the difficult assembling, dismounting, cleaning, and maintaining of the insert, and particularly of its mechanical component parts. These drawbacks are especially evident when concerned with keeping such contactors in continuous operation.

The mentioned drawbacks have been removed by an asymmetric rotating disc contactor according to the present invention comprising an excentrically arranged rotating shaft carrying the agitating discs and a stationary build-in insert which consists of column trays attached in close contact to the inside wall of the column, and at least ICC one semi-cylindrical vertical shell-insert placed coaxially with the axis of the column, passing throughout the whole length of the column and separating the central agitating space around the rotating shaft from the overflow space situated sideways. Said stationary built-in insert is divided into several parts which can be removed in order to facilitate the inserting of the shaft provided with the agitating discs. For this purpose the individual column trays, e.g., are provided with with at least one separable sector-like tray segment. A plurality of such segments are lixed above one another on the vertical shell-insert. This vertical shellinsert together with the sector-like tray segments provided thereon constitute the removable insert which eventually can be divided into several parts. f

When inserting and positioning the removable insert into the column, a space between the shaft, the sector-like tray segments and the column trays is set free, which eventually extends to the whole periphery of the tray segments. To improve the efficiency, horizontal transverse partitions connected with one another and placed substantially at the level of the agitating discs are provided in the free space between the vertical shell-insert and the adjacent column wall.

An example of an asymmetric rotating disc contactor according to this invention, especially intended for extraction operations, is illustrated in the drawings showing:

FIG. l a vertical axial section of a part of the contactor,

FIG. 2 a cross section ofthe contactor,

FIG. 3 a schematic representation of the inserting of a shaft provided with agitating discs, in plan view,

FIG. 4 a schematic representation of the following inserting of the removable insert, also in plan view.

The illustrated contactor body comprises stationary built-in trays 2. The sector-like recess in the individual trays 2 are closed by the removable insert comprising a vertical shell-insert 3 provided with sector-like tray segments 4. Between these tray segments 4, the trays 2, and the shaft 5, a space is left free, reaching eventually throughout the major portion of the periphery of the tray segmentsi, permitting a trouble-free removal of the shellinsert 3, and enabling the separated solids to freely sink through all the trays to the bottom part of the column.

In the free space between the removable insert and the adjacent column wall horizontal transverse partitions 6 are placed, connected to one another, arranged above one another, and intended to prevent the penetrating of drops between the trays 2.

Th overow space is moreover possible to be filled with the usual filling material such as Raschig rings, whereby a higher efficiency of the column can be attained.

The agitating discs can have the shape of a plain disc or they can eventaually be provided with grooves, e.g. bend or spiral grooves. Moreover, they can also have the shape of a cone or plate, eventually the shape of a blade wheel or running wheel of a turbine.

A rotating agitating disc influences the acceleration of the liquids counter-flowing inside the column, i.e. of the rising liquid of low specific weight and flowing downwards the liquid of a higher specific weight. A strong turbulence takes place near the agitating disc, the centre of this turbulence lying in the axis of the agitating disc. The liquid drops are accelerated in the direction against the agitating-zone `Walls and finely divided, While a slower and helically rotating stream arises on both sides of the turbulence zone, its centre being substantially lin the axis of the column. This stream also takes part of the overflow zone. Said slower helically rotating stream entrains the fine drops to the adjacent column trays, where the same after a temporary settling and partial separation in consequence of their different specific weights come from to the next agitating discs by which they are finely dispersed again.

When assembling a column according to this invention, the shaft S provided with agitating discs 7 is inserted through the free space between the trays 2 and the inside wall 1 of the column, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and then shifted into its operating position in the direction of the arrow and located in its bearings. Thereupon the removable insert is inserted in the same manner into the column, as shown in FIG. 4, and shifted in the direction indicated by the arrow, whereby the central agitating space will get separated from the sideways situated overflow space. At last the horizontal transverse partitions 6 are to be inserted and xed at the level of the agitating discs 7.

The asymmetric rotating disc contactor designed in accordance with this invention provides for substantially simplified assembling and dismounting of the built-in insert due to the fact that the space betwen the trays is freely accessible. Even after the shaft has been inserted and shifted into its operating position, a sufficiently large free space will remain for the location of the bearings as well as the eventually sectional shaft. When cleaning or repairing the -built-in elements, only the horizontal transverse partitions and the removable insert are to be taken out, and in this way the interior of the column between the trays, the shaft carrying the agitating discs, and the column inside wall is set free for cleaning or repai-r purposes. It is important that no dismounting of the movable insert is necessary. The partition of the stationary builtin insert into several parts is also advantageous from the material-technic and technological point of view.

What we claim is:

1. A rotating disc contactor comprising, in combination, a peripheral wall surrounding an internal space havin-g a vertical axis; a plurality of partions fixed to said wall and extending vertically spaced from each other transversely through said space and dividing the latter in a plurality of chambers, each of said partitions being formed with an opening respectively providing communication between said chambers, said openings being pa-rtially aligned with each other; a rotary shaft extending parallel to said vertical axis through the openings in said partitions; a plurality of discs fixed to said shaft respectively arranged between said partitions and being each of an outline smaller than that of said openings; and insert means arranged in a predetermined stationary position in said space and nearly closing said part of each opening which is not occupied by said shaft while still maintaining communication between said chambers, said insert means being removable throu-gh said openings from said space to thereby enable passage of said shaft and said discs thereon through said openings into and out of said chambers, said insert means comprising two realtively movable sections one of which includes a plurality of substantially horizontal closure members each located on the level of one of said partitions for closing a portion of each opening located nearer to said shaft and the other of said sections including a plurality of guide members each of which is located at least partly between two partitions for establishing communication between said chambers.

2. A contactor as defined in claim 1, wherein said first section comprises an elongated carrier extending through said openings and a closure member for each partition extending transversely of said carrier supported thereby and having an outline substantially corresponding to the outline of said one portion.

3. A contactor as defined in claim 2, wherein said second section comprises an elongated second carrier also extending through said openings and a second closure member for each partition extending transversely of said second carrier supported thereby and having an outline substantially corresponding to the outline of said other portion.

4. A contactor as defined in claim 3, wherein said second closure member is spaced from said closure member in axial direction of said space when both of said carriers are in said predetermined position.

5. A contactor as defined in claim 3, wherein said second closure member is located substantially at the level of said enlarged portion when said insert means is in said predetermined position and spaced from said partition.

6. A contactor as defined in claim 2, wherein said peripheral wall is cylindrical; said elongated carrier of said first section being arcuately curved transversely of its elongation and being substantially coaxial with said shaft when said insert means is in said predetermined position thereof.

7. A contactor as defined in claim 6, wherein each opening extends to said peripheral wall; and wherein said second carrier of said second section is also arcuately curved transversely of its elongation and is juxtaposed with the inner surface of said peripheral wall coaxially with the latter when said insert means is in said predetermined position thereof.

8. A contactor as defined in claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall is cylindrical and said internal space is of circular cross-section; and wherein each opening is of substantially sector-shaped configuration having an eccentrically located narrowest part through which said shaft extends.

9. A contactor as defined in claim 1, wherein said peripheral Wall is cylindrical and said internal space is of circular cross-section; and wherein each opening is of substantially sector-shaped configuration having a relatively wide area constituting said other portion, and a narrower area constituting said one portion and provided with an eccentrically located narrowest area through which said shaft extends.

10. A rotating disc contactor comprising a substantially vertical cylindrical shell having a vertical axis; a plurality of vertically spaced substantially horizontal partitions fixed to said shell and dividing the latter into a plurality of stages, each of said partitions having an opening therein, said openings being in vertical alignment; a rotary vertical shaft extending through said openings in said partitions; a plurality of discs fixed to said shaft and respectively arranged between said partitions; first insert means comprising a substantially vertical carrying wall extending through said openings spaced from said shaft, said wall having a plurality of substantially horizontal first closure means equal in number to said partitions and extending radially inwardly to said shaft and respectively disposed at the same horizontal level as said partitions, said closure members substantially filling the opening in said partition between said wall and said rotary shaft, said first insert means dividing the space between adjacent partitions into an internal agitating space and an outer flow space between said vertical wall and said shell; and second insert means comprising a plurality of substantially horizontal second closure members equal in number to said stages and extending between said carrying wall of said first insert means and said cylindrical shell and a support extending through said openings and supporting said second closure members respectively at a level between said partitions.

11. A contactor is defined in claim 10, wherein said plurality of second closure members are connected by a second arcuate carrier wall arranged adjaecnt said peripheral wall.

12. A contactor as defined in claim 10, wherein each of said first and second closure members is substantially sector-shaped.

13. A contactor as defined in claim 10, wherein said second insert means is removable in vertical direction through said openings so that the first insert means may be References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,091,645 8/1937 McConnell 196-14.52 2,400,962 5/ 1946 Thompson 23-270.5 3,032,403 5/1962 Kohl 23-2705 Treybal 23-2705 Eckert 23-270.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS U.S.S.R.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner S. J. EMERY, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

